In web design, it isn’t uncommon to want to make your site look fancy through the use of animations, sound and neat moving elements typically created by using a program called Flash. When Macromedia released their early version of Flash in 1997, the animation technology was an exciting new tool that many people would soon want to incorporate into their web sites. After the initial buzz surrounding moving images and sound (that seemed really cool to have on a web site) died down, designers began to realize that Flash isn’t always a necessary or good thing for the users of a site. Flash does have its advantages when other media doesn’t do the job, but there are many instances where it just should not be used; for the sake of your users’, who may not be able to access your website, and for the sake of your business, that may not be featured prominently on searches due to the misuse of Flash.

The Good

When used properly and in appropriate places, Flash can be a beneficial tool for your web site. Common examples of good use of Flash are for embedding videos, (think YouTube), animated slide shows, visual tutorials, (on Educational sites), and user controlled sound panels, (like MySpace or a Band’s website). Users like to be able to view videos quickly and control what they are viewing or hearing. Embedding video or sound with a Flash player is an easy way to do this without forcing your user to download software such as Windows Media Player or Quick Time. If you have an area that requires tutorials, which might be shown best in the format of an animation or video, Flash can also be a good option, as long as the user can control whether or not they’d like to view it.

The Bad

Flash is surely a powerful tool, but too often, it is misused and overused in non-beneficial ways, which makes life more difficult for you, your designer and most importantly, your users.

Flash is expensive. It can take significantly more time to create something in Flash than it can by creating your site with more streamlined methods such as CSS and HTML. After spending all that money developing something that looks neat, chances are, many users won’t be able to use it or see it anyway, depending on the following:

• Internet speed
• Age of their systems and browsers
• Using another device (cell phone, PDA) to browse the Internet
• Using a screen reader
• Using pop up blocker software (or safe surfing software)
• Behind a strict firewall

There are many reasons why not to create your site, your navigation, or other very important elements that your users should see in Flash. A few of them include:

Load Time

Flash sites can be quite heavy on your browser and your computer system if you’re not up-to-date with the most recent technology. And let’s face it: there are still a lot of users who aren’t. If you’ve ever tried to load a Flash site on a dial-up connection or a computer that’s more than 5 years old, you may have noticed that the “loading” screen goes on for longer than it should. Most people browsing the Internet don’t have the attention span or the time to wait for a site to take that long to load. They use the Internet because it’s quick and easy; your site should be built to accommodate that idea. If users can’t load your site and its navigation quickly, chances are, they will click off of your site and move on to your competitor’s.

Accessibility & Usability

Two of the most significant problems regarding the use of Flash on web sites are: accessibility and usability. In order to maximize your site visibility to the widest audience, you have to consider everyone who uses the Internet.

Unfortunately, Flash does not take into account a variety of people who might not be able to see it. Some sites created with Flash disable the back button on the browser, making it difficult for users to understand where they are on the site. Other sites created with Flash block the users who surf the Internet purely using a keyboard.

Disabled People

First, there are people with disabilities, such as the blind, who cannot view the Internet by seeing what’s on a monitor. Having a site that can be read by a screen reader, which reads the site content aloud, is very important in order to allow your blind users to be able to get information from your site. The screen readers depend on text in the HTML code to be able to read the information to your viewer. Most often, areas with text presented in Flash cannot be read by screen readers and your blind audience loses out on knowing more about you and your business.

Cell Phones/PDAs

Then there are those who use devices that browse the Internet differently than a computer browser would. More and more people, particularly the younger generations, use their cell phones, PDAs and other handheld devices to browse the Internet when a computer is not available. Cell phones that have browsing capabilities cannot view Flash. Any important information or navigation that is made in Flash will not be visible to viewers who are trying to access information quickly from the road.

Older Technology

Other viewers who have problems with loading and viewing Flash are those who have not upgraded to more recent computer systems or are still using the Internet from a dial-up connection. While technology is ever changing and more people have high-speed Internet service, there are still those who are not quite current with technology or don’t have access to a better Internet service. Flash sites can be heavy on older computers and even heavier on slower Internet connections. If your site’s most vital information can’t be seen because it takes too long to load, there is another chunk of your viewers who will click off of your site and on to your competitor’s.

Search Engines

Much like the screen readers for the blind, search engines also depend on text that can be read in the HTML code. If your information is only visible by means of a Flash file, you risk not being found on search engines because to the search engines, if you don’t have HTML copy, you don’t exist. Search engines need as much information as possible from your site in order to index you properly in their listings. The more well-written copy you have throughout your site, the better you’ll be found. If you bury all of that information within an embedded Flash file, you won’t be found at all.

Some may argue that people like Gucci (www.gucci.com) or Ford (www.ford.com) have Flash sites and are still found online. But that’s because they are Gucci and Ford. Their world recognition and heavy costs in advertising make up for their lack of search engine content. Until your business is at the caliber of Gucci or Ford, you absolutely should not let your site copy become invisible to search engines, lest you risk losing potential new business.

Future Considerations

As was said earlier, Flash is expensive. Flash becomes even more expensive when you need to edit it. There is no standard way to create something in Flash. It’s open-ended and has no specific rules. That makes it great for creative freedom, but poor for making changes in the future, especially when you might not have the original designer to depend on. Flash takes much longer to edit than a CSS and HTML site does. It requires that a designer have the Flash software to use and then figure out what the previous designer did to create it in the first place. Plus, if you don’t have the original Flash document used to create what’s on your site, you might risk paying to have it re-created all over again. In the end, you’ll spend even more money just to update the information that’s in the Flash file.

Just Like Dessert

Flash isn’t completely terrible, when used in the right places, but it certainly isn’t a tool to be abused when it comes to your web site. If you want your site to be user friendly, quick, accessible, and easy to edit later, be sure to use it sparingly. Flash is like the dessert of the web. It should be used when appropriate and as a fun perk here and there, but not in excess. Too much Flash can make your site bloated and give your users a stomachache, just like having too much dessert. Stick to these ideas and you’ll be one step closer to having a site that everyone can enjoy.

References:

5 Reasons Not to Use Flash from Search Engine Journal

6 Reasons Not to Use Flash from Patrick Burt

When Flash Goes Bad from Global Submit